With its latest decision, the French-speaking province of Quebec is effectively “pushing out” two of Canada’s largest English-speaking universities from Montreal to other provinces.
Are the French trying to get back at the English for losing the Hundred Years’ War? Or is wounded pride, as always, overshadowing logic?
So, what exactly did Quebec, the French-speaking cradle of Canada, do this time?
Quebec has a permanent residency (PR) program for graduates of educational institutions in the province. Over the past five years, this program has undergone significant changes.
It started with conditions where any graduate could obtain PR by simply providing their diploma. Then, language tests (English or French) were added. Later, the eligibility criteria were restricted to a list of designated educational institutions. Then, a requirement for only French language testing was introduced.
While these changes were painful, they were not catastrophic and could still be managed.
BUT! Starting November 23, graduates will only qualify for the PEQ program if 75% of their courses or credits were completed in French.
This will have a devastating impact on Montreal’s two English-speaking universities, McGill and Concordia, which enroll approximately 23,000 and 50,000 students annually, respectively.
In addition to this change, the intake of applications for the PEQ program for graduates has been temporarily suspended until June 30, 2025.
The Quebec Ministry of Immigration (MIFI) predicts that due to this pause, only 4,500–5,700 Quebec Selection Certificates (CSQs) will be issued to PEQ candidates in 2025, compared to 14,500 CSQs in 2024.
What do you think will be the response and future actions of these two universities?
For reference, in 2013, Quebec already experienced a massive exodus of English-speaking businesses due to aggressive language policies concerning signage and business names. This, by the way, sharply worsened the province’s economy. But apparently, no lessons were learned.
